Burnt Offerings

After five long years of worshipping wherever there was space, the new cathedral to Desna has finally been completed! The dedication will coincide with the yearly Swallowtail festival in a few days. The dedication will be a joyous occasion which should help people forget the Late Unpleasantness.

The day of the festival arrives. The day is enjoyable for all as the welcoming speeches are all brief and to the point. Vendors display their wares as performers entertain and local tavern owners feed the crowd (Ameiko Kaijitsu, owner of the Rusty Dragon is the local favorite). As the sun begins to set, Father Zantus uses a thunder stone to get everyone’s attention. Unfortunately, a tribe of local goblins take that as a signal to attack. Loudly chanting a Goblin Song.

The first wave of goblins were quickly dispatched as the heroes began to learn to work together. Then they were quickly assailed by another group of goblins, but this group was cleared out as quickly as the first. After a short breather the group had to deal with their hardest challenge yet. They are confronted by a large group of goblins along with a pair of Goblin Hexers, who gave the group quite a challenge. The biggest challenge of this last confrontation however was the group trying to save (sometimes from himself) Aldern Foxglove who, while bravely trying to help the heroes, proved that his sword fighting skills left something to be desired.

Once the last of the goblins were defeated Aldern thanked the heroes profusely for their assistance in saving his life. He heaped large amounts of compliments on to Nos, complimenting his extensively on his fighting prowess and asking repeatedly to be taught how to fight like Nos. He then invited the group to meet his at the Rusty Dragon when they found time.

Next the group checked the town to see if there were any citizens that they could offer any aid to. After helping numerous people with minor injuries it became clear that while the goblins attack was surprising and ferocious, there were not many people seriously injured. The groups’ next stop was to visit the graveyard next to the church. There they found Naffer Vosk, leaning on a shovel over an open grave, his eyes wet with tears. Through their conversation the group learned that the body of Father Tobyn had been dug up and taken during the goblin attack. They also learned that Father Tobyn had died during the Sandpoint Fire and that his adopted daughter had also perished during that fire. Her ashes were buried next to his body since her body couldn’t be found after the fire.

Vosk also gave the tragic story of Chopper, thus giving the group the full measure of Late Unpleasantness the town had gone through. Although the group first feared that either Father Tobyn could have raised from the dead or that he himself could have been a necromancer, these fears were quickly put to rest and it was clear that the body had been dug up and taken. The group also decided to investigate Chopper’s Island, wondering if the killer could have had something to do with what had transpired. When they arrived all they found was a burned down house and caved in caverns. Chopper’s Alley was also investigated but that showed them nothing new either.

The group decided to stop by the Sandpoint Barracks, hoping to be able to gather some information from the captured goblins. They were able to question the goblins in the jail and figured out that there were many different Goblin Tribes represented and that their leader was “One of you long shanks.” The group then split up to purchase necessary items before returning to the Rusty Dragon to meet with Aldern.

Aldren was delighted to see the group again and bought them a large meal and drinks to go with it. He again praised Nos on his valiant combat skills and went on and on about how he wished he could learn to fight like that. He informed the group that he hailed from the city of Magnimar, where his father was an important noble. He also made a pass at Ameiko Kaijitsu the owner of the Rusty Dragon, and was greeted with a drink poured over his head. Aldern informed the group that he would be leaving to return to Magnimar in the morning, but offered to pay for their rooms as long as they would be in Sandpoint.

The group left the Rusty Dragon and was greeted by the stern face of Sheriff Belor Hemlock who asked them to accompany him to the town hall for an important talk. Once in the town hall the group stood in from of the Sheriff, Mayor Kendra Deverin and Shalu Andosana, a long time friend of Thoradin. The Sheriff started by thanking the group for their bravery in the goblin attack, he then yielded the floor to Shalu. Shalu informed the group that the local Goblin Tribes had begun to work together and seemed to have big plans, and that big plans required big bosses. She was worried that someone has allied the clans together, something that was never good. She informed the group that she was going to sniff around Shank’s Wood, Devil’s Platter, and some other places that the goblins usually lived in to see if she could get an idea of what was going on.

The sheriff told the group he was going to head to Magnimar to request additional soldiers to help keep the town secure against any future attacks. He asked the group to keep their presence known around town to keep the citizens spirits up and to help keep them from worrying with their Sheriff gone for a time.

Walking around town Shayliss, the daughter of Ven Vider owner of the town’s general store, stopped the group and complained of rats in the basement of her shop. She asked Token to accompany her down to the basement to take care of the problem alone. After the group tries to talk her down from her insistence, Token agrees to accompany her to the basement and is almost immediately caught in a compromising situation by Shayliss’ father. Ven throws Token out, warning him to never show his face in the General Store again.

The group then went back to the Rusty Dragon to get a night’s rest after the excitement of the day. When they were leaving in the morning they were approached by Bethana Corwin, she explains that she is one of the employees at the Rusty Dragon and she is worried about Ameiko Kaijitsu. Ameiko had not started breakfast when Bethana arrived this morning and that had never happened. After investigating Ameiko’s room and finding the bed not slept in Bethana found a note crumpled beside her bed. The note from Ameiko’s brother Tusto asked Ameiko to meet him at the Glasswork’s (their fathers company) and that he had something important to discuss with her.

Bethana explained that Tusto was half-elf, and since neither of Ameiko’s parents were elf he was something of a scandal when he was born. His parents sent him to an academy to be raised away from the family but he was still visited by Ameiko in secret. Six years ago their mother died after falling off a cliff, Tsuto claimed his father had killed him mother and at the funeral they exchanged heated words and Tsuto’s father struck him with his cane. Tsuto disappeared after that and Ameiko hasn’t seen him since. Bethana is extremely worried about Ameiko, she doesn’t trust Tsuto and worries that Ameiko is in danger. She begs the group to go to the Glassworks and find Ameiko before something terrible happens.

_Well since Eric did such a nice job on the recap I’m just going to use it in the adventure log for this past session. This has also lead me to another idea, from now on each player will take turns writing the session recap after we finish, from the point of view of their character. I think that would keep the Adventure Log fresh and interesting.
_

So there we were. Leav’n the mess hall as it were, only to wander further down the hall. Nos was tellin me to wait, but i’m like ‘BAH" and go bargin though. Lo and behold, there be a goblin. All at once, the flashbacks come again, and I charge my way right up to him. Pinning him in the corner and start taking swings at his ugly mug. Thankfully more of my friends show up and we manage to make quick work. Just as we were cleaning up the rabble, Frodo’s spell backfires and he goes unconscious. Even our pokey cleric got in on the action as his being out of position turned out to be in perfect position and got a runner that our Drow managed to shout to him.

Know’n that more are likely around every corner we make our way into the adjacent room and decide to regroup. Frodo clears the far single door room to discover the stairwell. Tolken makes a cute attempt at being strong and fails to move a crate in front of the door. Just as our Cleric built like a bear walks through to move it easily in front of the stairwell door. With Nos and meself by the large twin doors we presume correctly to the Glassworks, Nos successfully uses his stealth abilities to peek through the door and close it without being noticed.

We reposition, Don and I take point. And decide to let the door and walls do the work of protecting our flanks, and have our ranged hide behind the wall of melee as it were. Once again, Don tries to smash the door, but it actually worked out perfectly. The knock drew a goblin to his doom by opening it, and the route was on. Any who came too close fell by Hammer or Morning Star. Any who tried to get close often fell to Arrows, darkness, or Magic. With most of the room cleared, a new player entered the works from the opposite side of the room. We watched while we cleared most of the goblins. The Goblins who were there, noticed but didn’t mind his being there. This was all the information i needed as no cave vermin I’ve ever seen would stare at a foe, and let him attack from the back. So i charges right up to him and give him a swipe with meh hammer. Which seems to have barely harmed him…. Nos Tolken quickly make their way to range and connect doing more damage, followed by Frodo who for some reason fell into a daze and missed his chance to attack. The being manages to hit me several times, doing enough damage for me to know that i cant simply stand there. Just then Don charges to the front, and takes me place. Frodo snaps out of it and seems twice as fast as ever. If even for a short time. I fall back only to notice one of the goblin scum has gone around and come up behind us. I fell him with one swipe of my craghammer. Back at the front Nos shrouds, Tolkens arrows, Don’s Melee, and Frodo’s Chaos bolts make short work of the being who almost took me out.

Come to find out it was Tustsu, or Tsuto, or menuto. I dont remember. Amiko Kiajutsu’s brother. He was in league with the Goblins. And more than that, we found journal entries and weird sexual fantasies of the dead priests not so dead daughter. They were working toward raising the demon Lammosh, and he hope she would come back as a Succubus who would fawn all over him. I dont think he gets how they work very well… Back to it though.. Turns out most of what we encountered and took care of fightin’ wise up till now was a diversion to keep us from where we be going now that we squared the Glassworks away. It also indicates that there are tunnels beneath us. After a short debate, we manage to convince Nos to stop talking and get down stairs. To find the tunnel right away, and Amiko tied up in the next room. After filling her in on all the events and her brothers role, she adds to it saying her brother wanted her to be safe from the razing of the town and when she resisted, the goblins took her and hid her here.

Don healed her up, she said she could make her way out and we went down the tunnels into catacombs…
Tolken is first in, gets some shots off and gets out. We use the melee wall idea again and in the process Nos puts himself out on a limb to shore up a weak spot. Ya’ know… for a moment. I think we can all agree, all seemed lost and we may lose our poorly protected friend. But then he vanished into thin air… The creatures looked just as confused as we did just as Frodo lights them up. Forgive me if i forget any actions taken by others. Heat o the moment type of thing.

Moving on through the catacombs we find one path with many skulls at the end. Decide to bypass it, and find a red statue of a human woman holding an evil book doing evil woman things. Tolken almost being a rogue by action, urinates on her as we proceed down the stairs single file only to come into an enclosure where three flaming skulls await us……

“By Moradin’s Beard, FLAMING SKULLS”, shouted the Dwarf raising his shield in a battle ready stance. Frodo, our master of the arcane arts shouted “Don, hurry we’ve got trouble!” and then let loose a bolt of pure energy from his stubby hobbit finger. The bolt went wild shooting below the flaming skull as it floated higher into the room with its black eyes starting at us casting its magic toward the heroic dwarf.

I could hear the heavy steps of our cleric running down the hall but I was not sure if he would make it in time. Our archer let loose a series of shots. So powerful was his bow that it was actually cracking the unholy floating skull. With a twist of my left hand I summed the darkness and called for it to do my bidding. Already the shadows being created by the flaming skulls were telling me of where the weak spots in the skull were. How ironic that a creature of fire casting shadows was causing its demise.

Before I could strike Frodo yelled “I sense wild magic being summoned prepare yourselves!” With that a giant fireball emerged from a skulls mouth and made its way towards us. Token with the grace of a cat leaped backwards while firing an arrow. Frodo flattened himself to the ground and drew his cloak over him. I shoulder blocked into thoradin and miraculously no one has hit. Banging his weapon against his shield Thoradin yelled that’s it and crushed a floating skull with his shield pinning it to the wall. Putting his weight behind the shield he smiled as he heard bone crack and the unholy fire dissipate behind it. Frodo let loose another bolt of energy as Token pinned the second skull to the wall.

Recovering from my acrobatic escape of the fireball I once again called upon the shadow to summon a second wave of shadows to do my bidding. With a wink to my hobbit friend I stepped into his shadow that he was casting on the ground and disappeared before him. “I hate it when he does that”, said Frodo. Emerging from behind the skull’s shadow silently I drove my dagger into a preexisting crack in the base of the skull splitting the evil construct in two!

Rushing into the room right after was Don…hammer raised up high ready to smite. “Welcome to the party” said Token taking his arrow out of a dead flaming skull’s eye socket. With a quick search of the room by our hobbit a burned body was found in a small little pool. “You won’t be needing this”, said Frodo as he lined his pocket with gold.

After carefully searching our surrounds we made sure no one was following us. I learned something though….even though a door looks to be solid you can never trust it. On one encounter with such said door I leaned into it to open it only to have the damn thing fall off its hinges with a clunk….lady luck is a real B@!#$.

With a quick huddle Token and I decided we were best suited to go ahead and scout. We were still trying to stop some ritual from happening, but didn’t know where to look. Using a two by two cover formation we made our way down a hallway to discover an alter.
Token took point as I made my way back to bring the rest of the group with us. Behind the alter Don walked non-blinking. “Look at this”, he said and he raised a suit of armor above his head. Everyone nodded and told him to put it on.

There was one door left to open in this section of the antechamber. Using years of training I opened the door a crack using my previous screw-up as a reminder of how carful I need to be. Inside the room I could see a giant pool lined with skulls and a golden triangular alter with a huge wall behind it with strange writing.

“This looks promising” I said with a turn to the group…”steel yourselves were going in” Don moved past me with Token and said “No good can come from this room…I will lead”. Not arguing with the Drow I let him in first. We were surprised to find a half-daemon/Elf women who in return was surprised to see us. She screamed something to the effect of “We were not supposed to be here or we were too early” “Early for what?” I wondered. With two quick cuts she started to summon to daemon spawns. These monsters were 7 feet tall and snarling with animalistic rage.

Token as fast as the wind raised his bow and said “The elf must die!” and fired an arrow taking off an ear from the evil creature. I as well summoned the darkness around the elf and had black flames dancing around her. Token turned and dropped a globe of darkness around us. Frodo screamed “ Cover your ears!” and let loose a thunderous wave of sound that slammed a hell spawn back into the stairs.

Don raising his hammer in the air screamed to his god and let loose a wave of holy magic that would protect us. How wonderful is this holy roller I thought. He can smash and heal….what was it like to bring peace and comfort I thought. But my mind quickly went back to the fight at hand as I was engulfed with a magic attack that shook me to my bones. If it wasn’t for Don’s protective magic I surly would have been in trouble.

Frodo let loose another chaos bolt that bounced around the room wildly finding its mark with every turn. ”Take that”, said the fiery hobbit.

Thoradin brought a daemon spawn to a stop by taking out its legs and then crushing in its skull. “Press the attack, the witch has shown herself again”, screamed the dwarf.

However the floating elf soon summoned two more daemon spawns with grew to full size and made their way towards us.

Don spun to his right and once again and called upon his god to heal Thoradin from his encounter the spawn. “Fight on friend!” he yelled as he blocked a claw with his hammer.

Without leaving my globe of darkness I stretched out my right hand’s palm and called upon the shadowfell once more to conjure streaking black darts towards my foe. Two of them bounced off its thick hide, but one ripped into the monsters neck. Thoradin and Don not missing an opportunity both pressed the attack on the creature weakening it further.

Token reaching for another arrow and slipped on the blood being released from the monsters neck and fell over…but even while falling backwards and in midair he fired an arrow finding his mark and then falling on his back with a thump! (FAILED AT FAILING).

With one daemon spawn left Don raised his hammer and said a prayer to his god and drove the weapon down on the creature back…breaking it. Seeing an opportunity to end this fight Thoradin leaped into the pool to get to the elf-daemon. As soon as he made contact with the pool he howled in pain and frost started to creep up his leg. “ST st stay ouuuuut of the p p pool, cold” he stammered while bashing into the elf.

Frodo once again drove another bolt of energy into evil elf as I put my final shroud on her. It was time to end this battle. I summoned a tool from my past that has never failed me… my executioners Noose. With the shrouds forming a noose around her neck It took one pull for the battle to be over.

After releasing my shadows back to the shadowfell I spun around the room to make sure my battlebrothers were safe. The hobbit was already smiling as he turned a crown around in his fingers. Thoradin was busy rubbing his legs to get feeling back in them and token was wiping blood off of his boots.

Don walked up to the glowing orange wall with the color draining from his face and turned to face us
“We should not be here..”

We just finished the toughest fight we had yet… We’re feeling the effects of battling several different times, ‘till we finished in the altar room with the elf daemon. I was so tired I could barely keep me eyes up. Still had the chill from that damn water. Don vocalized the darkness we all still felt and made his way toward the wall. He brought up a dark vision he’d had and a were goblin ‘er something of that ilk. He said it wasn’t crystal clear and at the time only was recalling it in fragments. Maybe more will come back once he gets some proper sleep in a proper bed. My friends Nos, Don, Frodo and Token investigated the wall. Each with something to contribute. When they asked what I thought about it I offered to hit it with my craghammer. To which everyone except Token said “No!”

Suit yourselves.. and went off to open some closets. Meanwhile Don said a prayer, it got dimmer. Nos stole away a couple of secrets and it got darker. Frodo used his arcane knowledge to dispell it further. Token spoke to it with his drow voice and sensed a weakness for his drow touch as well. I think he calls it his black elfness. And the light melted away some more. Nos managed to dispell it totally I beleive, by feeling up some of the runes. Magic touch, eh?

With the wall dispelled, we piled up the sinspawn against the door and managed to sleep somehow. Not being ideal, but we were exhausted. We left the altar, back down the hall Don,Frodo, and I went toward the statue, Nos and The drow went to what we thought was a skull pit. When they got there they found that it was rubble and a secret path leading north/Northeast. Don’t ask, I’m a dwarf, I know… They also found a hobbit sized robe that was totally wizard. To which they gave to Frodo and we all watched him change right there. Har, ha! I kid too much me thinks. Seriously, Nos peeked though.

Back to it. Once changed, Don was eager to check-out the noises he heard earlier behind the door. Nos brought up checking it out? Using the skills he and token have thrice successfully demonstrated. Don and I weren’t having it, both feeling good and itching for a fight. the door opened and two sin spawn. Don hammer held high, battle cry, into the frey. My kind of ‘uman. Nos next through the door, shooting a shadow noose around a spawn by however he does it. Amazing. I butt up behind Don. Token fires an arrow, than outta nowhere two more spawn and three giant scorpions. Don gets flanked by one scorpion, starts taking damage. An he’s tough, but he ain’t got himself a sheild to protect those giant muscles. He takes a couple o strikes and just before he takes a whollop from the back I hook him and slide him back just in time to take the hit. But now I’m in the frey and need the support of my friends. There was some kind of fel spirit in the room, cause for a time I was the only one who could hit anything. Nos could shroud and noose, but it didnt hit like it normally does. Nos yelled, I think were all a exhausted, stay focused keep pressing! right then, I got picked up by a scorpid. Off my feet, helpless and poisoned. Don came threw for me once again. Using a holy power he struck hard, and the beast weakened. Thoradin, using everything you have and get out. I snap out of my haze, land on my feet and land a blow. Token sank an arrow shaft deep and chuckles to himself.

Frodo mutters a spell none of is had heard before. Something new, or maybe he just remembered it. But all the sudden every for surrounding men shreeks (spl?) And a spawn drops, and the scorpion hissed as his armor cracked leaving a soft spot Don and I took advantage of. Nos goes back to shrouding bus spawn foe and token arrows hit but not centering. Hits the shoulder, the leg. Again something odd here. Dark places with dark secrets I think. Frodo started saying his words to start a spell, and a moth flew down his throat and he stopped at “khar-vae-vu(gaahhh)….” But his spell flew off elsewhere not harming him or us this time. With the rest of the enemies vanquished, we made short work of the last scorpion. I wonder though… We’ve faced four poison creatures. I wonder if we could take those scorpion stingers and venom sacs, ‘n save them for token arrows? I know they took me out o the game for a time. So we enter the room fully to see its a cavernous prison. Token says its symbolic of every relationship he’s ever had with drow women, gaping emptiness, lots o cells… You get it, which lightened everyone’s mood. We can all see why he fumbled with words and did nor the right or wrong thing with the shopkeepers daughter in the town. Heh, heh, ah well.

So we span out across the room and I spied with my low light vision eyes something I’ve been wishing for since I seen it on Garnord Ironbeard back in Janderhoff. Whiteflame full plate armor.. it fit me just right and adjusted it where I had too. Moradins hammer, thank him. Just in time, he always comes through. Token ever aware, was pressing lightly down the hall. In the excitement, I don’t think a one of us remembered to be sneaky as it were. Tokens vision allowed him to see down the stairs he was on, and what looks to be a serious foe. He also seen 15 pits with wooden covers over them. So we start to plan but I think the first thing to leave a man is patience sometimes, in the moment. What I shoulda done is let our assassin try and put some damage on him from a distance, but my protective instincts often get the better of me. My honor doesn’t let me let back too often while others do the heavy lifting… But it is what it is, were in for another scrap, with the undead it looks this time. Well see how they like headshots, and caved skulls. Whether it be 5 or 15, dunt matter. First up is first to fall. My battle vigor is rising thinking about it.

Anna Kornakova

Seesion 6

Coming down the bottom of the stairs, we see a room poorly lit, with pallets covering what seems to be holes. Our dumb luck, of course we stir up whatever was in there. Quick as they could, undead creatures climb their way up from the depths. And then we see in the back of the room, a rather large foul looking undead thing. Kourava, er somethin’. So foul the lads wanted to call it something pleasant. Alas, Anna it was named. I was holding point at the bottom of the stairs, and the rest o’ us lined up based on range. Being that the stairwell was so narrow, didn’t leave much room, I stepped just outside only to be flanked by to zombies if you will. One grabs me arm, another takes a swing. Even with one arm tied behind me back, the bugger couldn’t hit. Just then I hear an arrow whiz past my ear as it find its mark in Anna. She wails an undead moan, but seems no worse for wear on her undead self. I turn and see token making a explosion type gesture with his release hand, and yell “boom!” Must be a drow thing. Just after the arrow, I hear a little song and see Nos teleport to the grabbing zombie’s backside, via some spell cast by our bard, only to miss horribly. Just then I see the mighty shrew leap over me, and as soon as he lands his magic sword finds its mark and breaks me free. Followed by Nos who cast a shroud on Anna, and sank a bolt into a nearby zombie. Im not good with magic, so I don’t know what the shire folk cast, but it went at a speed only a spell could, and finds its mark on Anna, whose faces goes from hungry to livid. Eyes wide and pissed like that girl’s father when token tried to bed her. Anna comes barreling at Shrew, lets loose a vicious roar and swings down upon shrew with something that would surely leave him bloodied. But my dumb arse hooks me shield around shrew and launches him behind me as I come forward to take the blow, but I swung back on the counter and hit him more than half of what me got me.. I grunt at the pain, just as arrows miss Anna, but a chaos bolt connects making the creature stumble a bit and stand up. Like a shadow, Nos steps behind Anna a couple squares, and makes a shadow noose and yanks the beast into a pit. We hear a groan, but the rest of us turn out attentions to the immediate threats. The other zombies. Thwack, right between the eyes, Boosh goes the spells, crack went the hammer, and thwick went the sword as we all were finding our marks on the remaining zombies. Nos being single minded with a glare on his brow, peered over the pit, and sees the prone, hurt Anna groaning on her side. He cheesily utters, “smile, you sonna of a bitch.” As he fires a bolt deep into its head and activates a mass of other effects. Too many to count really, and the creatures head pops off just as it explodes midair. No fibbing. Grotesque and awesome all at once.
He looks up only to see the rest of us covered in rotting flesh and clotted blood from all the splatter. We check each other for bites, and realizing we’re all good thanks in good part to armor, we search Anna and for some reason she had a KI focus about the dark arts that Nos practices. As gleeful as I’ve ever seen that shade, he picks it up and wraps the scarf around his neck in a Im better than you type manner. Even though he never acts, or says it. We know, if he had a mirror, he would never get anything else done. HA! Im jus teas’n me friend.
To the south we see a door, which Token takes point followed by Nos as the rest of us let them sneak about. They come upon a stairwell going down and another door further south. We opt for the door, after listening Nos hears crackling. Venturing on safety I take point, open it only to start being lifted as though weightless. Looking up we see a wine bottle, book, and a dead raven. Just as the walls flash runes as the energy doing it pulsates together and apart to make them, moving along the wall in this sphere shaped room as it goes. After some careful analysis by the team token grabbed the book and left the rest. We decided to leave the room as the pulsing was gradually increasing and none of the crew could read the runes or figure out what they mean. The book also had the same runes and the same seven pointed star that the statue Token peed on had on its stone book. So.. It’s probably integral to whatever we’re facing. We leave the room, go to the stairwell and discover that it was collapsed. We faintly hear a howl, or did we… Looking down we find something I really liked. An avalanche craghammer. Must be what caused the cave in. Having cleared the caverns, we make our way back through the system to town. Nos hearing the howl, decides to fill us in on the reoccurring the dream he’s having. The one with a huge goblin/wolf type creature pacing in a room that it can’t escape. Just as a portal opens and one human hand, and one rotting one reach through to the creature. Than the wolf thing turns and looks directly at Nos in his dream and smiles.
We make it back to town and decide to get rid of some excess gear, and pick up some armor for Nos. We let our smooth talking bard to the talking. Which surprises me cause here the town is getting invaded by goblins and here is a similar one negotiating with the town. He must be good…